


A Different Family

by Victorious56



Series: Qrowtober 2020 [4]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Childhood, Gen, Qrowtober (RWBY), difficult childhood, somebody give these kids a hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:35:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27132574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Victorious56/pseuds/Victorious56
Summary: Family is very important to Qrow. He wants to belong, but he begins to realise, not all families are the same.
Relationships: Qrow Branwen & Raven Branwen
Series: Qrowtober 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948003
Kudos: 17





	A Different Family

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Qrowtober 2020 Day 21: Family

"Come _on_ , Qrow. You gotta keep up."

My feet still hurt from all the walking yesterday. I try to go as fast as Raven, but she's always quicker than me. I think she walks fast 'cause she secretly wants to get away from me. Like everyone in the tribe does.

  


I don't know why things go wrong when I'm around. I try hard to do things right, but it doesn't always work.

  


Like the time when we were trying to sneak up on that farm, to catch a lamb so we could eat it, and I got my foot caught in some barbed wire. I didn't see it 'cause it was in the weeds, and I tried not to cry but it hurt so much, and then the lamb ran away and we had to have squirrel again.

  


The tribe say they are family, but I don't know what that means. I know it's important 'cause they talk about family a lot. I suppose it means living in a big group, and when you're little everyone shouts at you.

  


"Qrow, try not to mess things up this time, or I'll never speak to you again."

Raven's my sister and sometimes she says she loves me. I don't know what that means, either. I tell her I love her, though. That makes her smile, and then I know she won't smack me. It doesn't hurt when she smacks me, not very much. She says it's for my own good, and I have to be tough. You have to be tough to stay in the tribe. I want to stay in the tribe 'cause they're family, and I don't know where else I can go.

  


Today we're going on a village raid. It's the first one I've been on 'cause I'm not very old. But Raven is the same age as me, and she's been on two so far. She says it's because I'm bad luck, so I mustn't be bad luck today or I might have to leave the tribe. I want to stay in the tribe. I will try to be good luck today.

It's a long way to the village. Raven and me are at the back of the group and we have to watch and learn. Raven says she knows already, but I don't so I must be vigilant. I think that means I must be careful so I don't get hurt again, or make a mistake and ruin things.

  


I can see the village now. There are a lot of little huts, but Raven said they are houses. A different family lives in each one. The families must be very small in the village. I don't know if I'd like to live in a small family. In a big family like the tribe, you can go away somewhere and hide and no-one notices that you've gone.

The older tribe members have reached the first houses. They have brought the families outside. The grown-ups in the families are holding the small children in their arms. I wonder why they do that? Why don't they shout at them, and tell them to run away?

The bigger children look scared. Even the grown-ups look scared. I think everyone is scared of the tribe. That's a good thing 'cause it means we are strong.

Raven and me have to find food and take it back to the tribe. We can go into the houses and take the food. The people who live there have more food than they need, so we can take some for the tribe. That way, everyone has food.

We go into the first house and find some dried meat and fish, and some loaves of bread. We take it out and put it in the sacks. The grown-ups and the children are all crying. The woman says, "Look at the poor little children, they've been turned into thieves by these evil bandits." She looks at me and she looks sad, and she holds her baby very close. The bigger children are holding onto her too, and the man is holding all of them.

I wonder what it's like when a grown-up holds you like that? The children aren't trying to get away. They must like it, I suppose.

In the next house there is a very old woman. I've never seen anyone with such a wrinkled face. She wasn't crying, she was angry. She said the tribe was bad to use children for stealing.

I don't think she understands how the tribe family works.

When Raven and me have filled our sacks we take them to the elders. I put too much in my sack and it splits open. All the food goes into the dirt and Raven shouts at me.

  


When we get back to the tribe camp my feet are bleeding. Raven gets some bandages and wraps them up. Then she holds me like the woman in the village. She tells me I have to try harder not to be unlucky.

  


I wish I knew how.

**Author's Note:**

> Friendly comments always appreciated, thank you.
> 
> The extremely talented [Thuban](https://thuban-x.tumblr.com) recently drew this picture:
> 
>   
>    
> 
> 
> which depicts perfectly the mood I was trying to capture when I wrote this.


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